Vari-angle tubular support and drainage assembly for canopies



g 2, 1966 w. c. HEIRICH 3,263,389

VARI-ANGLE TUBULAR SUPPORT AND DRAINAGE ASSEMBLY FOR CANOPIES Filed May 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR WILLIAM C. HEIRICH ATTORNEYS 1966 w. c. HEIRICH 3,263,389

VARI-ANGLE TUBULAR SUPPORT AND DRAINAGE ASSEMBLY FOR CANOPIES Filed May 5, 1964 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 INVENTOR WILLIAM C. HEIRICH B W $2M ATTORNEYS United States Patent ce 3,263,389 VARI-ANGLE TUBULAR SUPPORT AND DRAIN- AGE ASSEMBLY FOR CANOPIES William C. Heirich, 2912 Wauhilah Drive, Muskogee, Okla. Filed May 5, 1964, er. No. 365,161 11 Claims. (Cl. 52-720) The invention disclosed herein relates to canopies or marquees, and in particular to a tubular support and variangle bracket assembly designed for supporting such canopies and providing means for draining water therefrom.

Providing the necessary structural support for canopies or marquees may be accomplished by any number of means including the use of posts and overhead rods. The use of such posts or tubular supports has gained widespread acceptance in the industry and has become increasingly important because of the desire to design tubular supports capable of performing both structural and drainage functions in addition to meeting consumer demand for beauty.

The tubular support and vari-angle bracket assembly constituting the subject matter of this invention is believed to be an important advancement in this field since it provides an attractive, unitary structural assembly capable of:

(A) Providing adequate structural support for the canopy or marquee;

(B) providing for the drainage of water therethrough thus eliminating the necessity of using unsightly downspouts; and

(C) providing for the angular adjustment of the tubular supports to conform to the structural and aesthetic requirements of the numerous variations in size and shape of available canopies.

Accordingly, it is an object of invention to provide a simple, easily assembled, economical tubular support and vari-angle bracket assembly capable of supporting heavy canopies or marquees.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tubular support for canopies which also functions as a drainage system for rain water.

A further object of invention is to provide bracket means for varying the angle at which the tubular supports engage the canopy and the floor.

Yet additional objects of invention will become apparent from the ensuing specification and attached drawings which illustrate the tubular support and vari-angle bracket assembly wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the tubular support and vari-angle bracket assembly illustrating both preferred and modified top brackets for use with new and conventional interlocking panel elements of canopies.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the top bracket of the vari-angle bracket assembly showing its relationship to a conventional canopy design.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the top bracket of the vari-angle bracket assembly illustrating its use with a recently designed, novel interlocking panel assembly which is expected to gain wide acceptance in the industry.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation showing a sloping canopy supported by a vertical tubular support and vari-angle bracket assembly.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation showing a horizontal, overhanging canopy supported by a slanted, tubular sup port and vari-angle bracket assembly.

FIGURE 6 is a front elevation of a horizontal canopy illustrating both a vertical tubular support and two slanted tubular supports in a V-type configuration achieved with the use of the vari-angle brackets.

The novel tubular support and vari-angle bracket 3,263,389 Patented August 2, 1966 assembly disclosed herein consists of a tubular support 10, vari-angle floor flange 12, and vari-angle facia bracket 14.

Tubular support 10 is cylindrical in cross-section having an outside diameter of 2 inches and is furnished in standard 8' and 10 lengths to be cut to proper size during field assembly. The supports 10 are made from 14 gauge steel tubing and have a white baked. enamel finish.

Vari-angle floor flange 12 consists of a base portion 16 terminating upwardly in a lower supporting shoulder 18. Immediately above shoulder 18 and forming an integral part of flange 12 is an intermediate portion 20 having upper supporting shoulder 22. Integral with intermediate portion 20 and extending thereabove is ball joint 24 having a groove 26 near the top portion thereof and completely surrounding ball joint 24. A vertical passageway 28 is located throughout the center of ball joint 24, intermediate portion 20 and base 16 and intersects a horizontal passageway 29 which terminates in front opening 30. Bolt openings 32 are provided in base portion 16 for attaching flange 12 to the floor.

Vari-angle facia bracket 14 consists of a plate 36 designed so as to conform to the contour of the particular facia which it supports, and which will be discussed in more detail later. Plate 36 terminates near its upper portion in upper shoulder 38 and is also provided with numerous bolt openings 40 providing means for attaching plate 36 to the facia. Immediately below upper shoulder 38 and forming an integral part thereof is located intermediate portion 42 which terminates in lower supporting shoulder 44. Vari-angle facia bracket 14 terminates in a ball joint 46 which is the same size and configuration as ball joint 24 of vari-angle floor flange 12. A vertical passageway 48 is located within plate 36, intermediate portion 42 and ball joint 46 thus providing communication between the top portion of plate 36 and the bottom of ball joint 46.

A modification of vari-angle facia bracket 14 is also shown in FIGURE 1 and designated as 14' wherein plate 36 is designed to conform to the contour of the lower portion of a horizontal beam assembly used to support a novel, interlocking panel assembly of a new canopy design disclosed more fully later.

The end portion of a conventional canopy, such as disclosed by my recently issued US. Patent No. 3,107,401, is shown in FIGURE 2 wherein one interlocking panel element 52 is shown being supported by the underside of flange 54, rib 56 and flange 58 of facia member 60. The plate 36 of vari-angle facia bracket 14 is attached to the bottom 62 of facia member 60 with the use of bolts 64. After water drains from each panel element 52 into the bottom trough-like portion 62 of facia 60, it passes through opening 66 which is provided in the bottom portion 62 of facia 60 into the passageway 48 of vari-angle facia bracket 14 from whence it then passes through tubular support 10 into vari-angle floor flange 12 and exits through front opening 39 (FIGURE 1).

In FIGURE 3 is disclosed a new and vastly improved canopy design constituting the subject matter of my pending application Serial No. 358,024, which issued on January 4, 1966, as U.S. Patent No. 3,226,891, wherein modified plate 36 is attached to the bottom portion 70 of a channel-shaped hollow beam assembly 72. In this new canopy design, water passes along the trough-like bottom portion 74 of each interlocking panel 76 until it contacts wall flashing section 78 wherein it thereafter passes between adjacent beam clips 80 into the interior of hollow beam assembly 72. With respect to this matter, it is to be noted that each interlock-ing panel 76 is attached to the top portion of beam assembly 72 with the use of beam clips 80 which are approximately the same width as the trough-like bottom portion 74 of each interlocking panel 76. As more clearly explained in my pending application referred to above, the channel-shaped hollow beam is so designed to resist the bending stresses to which the long lengths of interlocking panels constituting the canopy are subjected, and also to provide greater storage capacity for water draining therefrom. The water passes from the interior of each beam 72 through opening 82 located in the bottom portion thereof into the modified vari-angle facia bracket 14' from whence it passes downwardly through tubular support 10 into vari-angle floor flange 12 (FIGURE 1). The water then exits through front opening 30 in the same manner as described above with respect to that canopy assembly disclosed in FIGURE 2.

As shown in FIGURES 4, S and 6, the ball joints 24 and 46 allow the tubular supports 10 to assume either a vertical or a slanted position. Obviously, then, many variations in the relationship between the tubular supports 10 and the panel elements 52 or 76 of the canopies may be achieved with the use of the vari-angle floor flange 12 and vari-angle facia bracket 14. FIGURE 4 illustrates a sloping canopy 90, which may consist of either panels 52 or 76 (not shown), supported by a vertical tubular support 10. FIGURE 5 discloses a horizontal canopy 90' supported by a sloping tubular support The front elevation shown in FIGURE 6 discloses a horizontal canopy 90" supported by both vertical tubular support 10 and sloping tubular supports 10', which may :be arranged, for example, to form a V-shaped configuration as illustrated.

When it is desired to arrange the tubular supports 10 vertically, it is only necessary to encompass the ball joints 24, 46 and intermediate portions 20, 42 of flange 12 and bracket 14 respectively with the ends of each support 10 in such a manner that these ends rest in abutting relationship against shoulders 18 and 38, as seen in FIGURE 1. Before assembly, caulking is applied to the inside of tubular support 10 and the groove 26 of ball joint 24. The flanges 12 and bracket 14 are then attached to the floor and facia respectively with the use of bolts 94 and 64 respectively. Thread cutting bolts 96 are then used to secure tubular support 10 to ball joints 46 and 24.

The tubular supports 10 are capable of being slanted as seen in FIGURES 1, 5 and 6. To achieve this slanting relationship, one side portion of each end of tubular conduit 10 is placed in abutting relationship against upper supporting shoulder 22 and lower supporting shoulder 44 respectively. The other side portion of each end of tubular conduit 10 rests in engaging relationship with ball joints 24 and 46 as seen in exaggerated fashion in FIG- URE 1. Thread-cutting bolts 96 are used to tightly secure tubular support 10 to these ball joints.

Manifestly, still further modifications of the tubular support and vari-angle bracket assembly may be employed without departing from the scope of invention, as defined by the susbjoined claims.

I claim':

1. An assembly for supporting a canopy at a pre-determined distance above a floor comprising:

(A) a bracket for attachment to said canopy, said bracket including an upper portion, a first intermediate cylindrical portion and a lower ball joint, said bracket also having a first vertical passageway extending throughout said upper portion, intermediate portion and ball joint;

(1) said upper portion comprising a plate to be attached to said canopy, said plate terminating in a lower cylindrical member;

(2) said intermediate cylindrical portion having a smaller diameter than said lower cylindrical member of said upper portion and intersecting said lower cylindrical member to define an upper supporting shoulder;

(3) said lower :ball joint being circular in crosssection and having a top portion whose diameter is less than that of said intermediate portion, said ball joint and said top portion of said intermediate portion intersecting to form a first lower supporting shoulder;

(B) a flange for attachment ot said floor, said flange comprising a base portion, a second cylindrical intermediate port-ion having a diameter equal to that of said firstintermediate portion and an upper ball joint, said flange having a second vertical passageway extending throughout said base portion, second intermediate portion and upper ball joint, said base portion further containing a horizontal passageway intersecting said second vertical passageway and terminating at one side of said base portion;

(1) said base portion terminating upwardly in a second lower supporting shoulder;

(2) said second intermediate cylindrical portion being spaced inwardly of said second lower supporting shoulder of said base portion;

(3) said upper ball joint being circular in crosssection and having a bottom portion of less diameter than said second intermediate portion thus defining a second upper supporting shoulder therewith;

(C) a hollow tubular conduit connected at one end to said bracket and at the other end to said flange, said conduit having an inside diameter slightly greater than said diameters of said first and second intermediate portions of said bracket and flange so as to enable said conduit to fit snugly around said first and second intermediate portions and rest in abutting relationship against said first upper supporting shoulder and said second lower supporting shoulder of said bracket and flange respectively, or in the alternative, to allow said tubular conduit to engage said upper and lower ball joints while resting in abutting relationship against said first lower supporting shoulder and said second upper supporting shoulder of said bracket and flange respectively.

2. An assembly for supporting a canopy at a predetermined distance above a floor comprising:

(A) a bracket for attachment to said canopy, said bracket including portions that are circular in crosssection and of varying diameter so as to define a first supporting shoulder and a first ball joint being circular in cross-section and of varying diameter located at the bottom of said bracket, said bracket further containing a first vertical passageway extending throughout the entire length thereof;

(B) a flange for attachment to said floor, said flange including portions that are circular in cross-section and of varying diameter so as to define a second supporting shoulder and a second ball joint at the top of said flange of substantially the same configuration as said first ball joint, said flange further containing a second vertical passageway extending therethrough and a horizontal passageway intersecting said second vertical passageway and terminating at one side of said flange at the bottom thereof;

(C) a hollow tubular conduit defined by outside and inside diameters and terminating in end portions, said end portions resting in abutting relationship against said first and second supporting shoulders, said inside diameter of said tubular conduit being slightly greater than the diameters of said portions of said bracket and flange adjacent said first and second shoulders thereof and the largest diameter of said ball joints respectively.

3. An assembly as in claim 2, wherein said bracket and said flange further contain a third and fourth supporting shoulder below and above said first and second shoulder respectively, said third and fourth shoulders being defined by said portions of said bracket and flange that are adjacent said first and second ball joints.

4. An assembly as in claim 3, including means for securing said tubular conduit to said first and second ball joints.

5. An assembly as in claim 4, wherein said means comprise thread cutting bolts.

6. In a canopy to be supported at a predetermined distance above a floor and of the type having interlocking panels terminating on each end thereof in a facia assembly having a trough-like bottom portion for the collection of water and drainage openings therein, the combination with said facia assembly of:

(A) a bracket attached to said bottom portion of said facia assembly adjacent one of said drainage openings, said bracket including portions that are circular in cross-section and of varying diameter so as to define first and third supporting shoulders and a first ball joint at the bottom of said bracket adjacent said third shoulder, said bracket further containing a first vertical passageway extending throughout the entire length thereof and in registering relationship with said one of said openings, means for securing said bracket to said facia assembly;

(B) a flange for attachment to said floor, said flange including portions that are circular in cross-section and of varying diameter so as to define second and fourth supporting shoulders and a second ball joint at the top of said flange adjacent said fourth shoulder, said flange further containing a second vertical passageway extending therethrough and a horizontal passageway intersecting said second vertical passageway and terminating at one side of said flange at the bottom thereof;

(C) a hollow tubular conduit having end portions resting in abutting relationship against said bracket and flange.

7. An assembly as in claim 6, wherein said tubular support rests in abutting relationship against said first and second supporting shoulders.

8. An assembly as in claim 6, wherein said tubular support rests in abutting relationship against one side of said second and fourth supporting shoulders and the pposite sides of said first and second ball joints.

9. In a canopy to be supported at a pre-determined distance above a floor and of the type having interlocking panels supported near the ends thereof by hollow beams having drainage openings in the bottom portions thereof, the combination with said hollow beams of:

(A) a bracket attached to said bottom portion of said hollow beam adjacent one of said drainage openings, said bracket including portions that are circular in cross-section and of varying diameter so as to define first and third supporting shoulders and a first ball joint at the bottom of said bracket adjacent said third shoulder, said bracket further containing a first vertical passageway extending throughout the entire length thereof and in registering relationship with said one of said openings, means for securing said bracket to said hollow beam;

(B) a flange for attachment to said floor, said flange including portions that are circular in cross-section and of varying diameter so as to define second and fourth supporting shoulders and a second ball joint at the top of said flange adjacent said fourth shoulder, said flange further containing a second vertical passageway extending therethrough and a horizontal passageway intersecting said second vertical passageway and terminating at one side of said flange at the bottom thereof;

(C) a hollow tubular conduit having end portions resting in abutting relationship against said bracket and flange.

it An assembly as in claim 9, wherein said tubular support rests in abutting relationship against said first and second supporting shoulders.

11. An assembly as in claim 9, wherein said tubular support rests in abutting relationship against one side of said second and fourth supporting shoulders and the opposite sides of said first and second ball joints.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 345,894 7/1886 Gray 5215 1,553,426 9/1925 Altenbern et a1 5215 X 3,084,479 4/1963 Struben 5290 X 3,097,449 7/1963 Kellett 529O 3,131,899 5/1964 Luhrs 248--188 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner. 

6. IN A CANOPY TO BE SUPPORTED AT A PRE-DETERMINED DISTANCE ABOVE A FLOOR AND OF THE TYPE HAVING INTERLOCKING PANELS TERMINATING ON EACH END THEREOF IN A FACIA ASSEMBLY HAVING A TROUGH-LIKE BOTTOM PORTION FOR THE COLLECTION OF WATER AND DRAINAGE OPENINGS THEREIN, THE COMBINATION WITH SAID FACIA ASSEMBLY OF: (A) A BRACKET ATTACHED TO SAID BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID FACIA ASSEMBLY ADJACENT ONE OF SAID DRAINAGE OPENINGS, SAID BRACKET INCLUDING PORTIONS THAT ARE CIRCULAR IN CROSS-SECTION AND OF VARYING DIAMETER SO AS TO DEFINE FIRST AND THIRD SUPPORTING SHOULDERS AND A FIRST BALL JOINT AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID BRACKET ADJACENT SAID THIRD SHOULDER, SAID BRACKET FURTHER CONTAINING A FIRST VERTICAL PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH THEREOF AND IN REGISTERING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ONE OF SAID OPENINGS, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID BRACKET TO SAID FACIA ASSEMBLY; (B) A FLANGE FOR ATTACHMENT FOR SAID FLOOR, SAID FLANGE INCLUDING PORTIONS THAT ARE CIRCULAR IN CROSS-SECTION AND OF VARYING DIAMETER SO AS TO DEFINE SECOND AND FOURTH SUPPORTING SHOULDERS AND A SECOND BALL JOINT AT THE TOP OF SAID FLANGE ADJACENT SAID FOURTH SHOULDER, SAID FLANGE FURTHER CONTAINING A SECOND VERTICAL PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AND A HORIZONTAL PASSAGEWAY INTERSECTING SAID SECOND VERTICAL PASSAGEWAY AND TERMINATING AT ONE SIDE OF SAID FLANGE AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF; (C) A HOLLOW TUBULAR CONDUIT HAVING END PORTIONS RESTING IN ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP AGAINST SAID BRACKET AND FLANGE. 